South Western Ambulance Service under 'extreme pressure'

The delays have been partially blamed on ambulances getting "stuck" waiting for patients to be admitted to hospital

South Western Ambulance Service's Resource Escalation Action Plan (REAP) is at Level 4 - representing "extreme pressure".

The trust is asking people to call 999 only in a life-threatening emergency.

The move comes as NHS managers met local politicians at Plymouth City Council to try to find solutions.

The meeting heard several stories about delays including one from a councillor who himself spent 12 hours waiting for care at the city's Derriford Hospital.

'Handover delays'

The Level 4 status means the ambulance service can reprioritise resources on the road and in control rooms.

The move to Level 4 was made in response to sustained demand on its services, the South West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said.

The trust also said it was taking ambulances "too long" to get to patients due to "sustained pressure" on the service.

"Our performance has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, partly due to handover delays caused by capacity issues in hospitals, and in community and social care," the trust said.

Different entrances

NHS bosses told Plymouth City Council that a new 111 provider was due to take over earlier than planned from current provider Devon Doctors.

They said that should "improve things significantly" for 111 patients.

They also talked about focusing on improving handovers from ambulance crews to emergency departments as that would get ambulances back out on the road more quickly.

There were also suggestions of looking into different entrances for some patients at Derriford Hospital to ease pressure on emergency staff and putting more money into same-day emergency care.